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>> union bank offers unique insight and expertise in a range of industries. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> this is "gmt." wanted and eliminated, mexican forces targeted drug lords from a powerful cartel. british troops strike out against the taliban in a new offensive. deadly rainfall in pakistan as a monsoon flames more than 300 victims. the route is a home to a meeting between saudi arabian leaders. will it bring stability to 11 on -- lebanon. welcome to "gmt."

[unintelligible] is realm for massive cocaine and methamphetamine operations in mexico. believed to be the right hand man for the work country's most powerful drug lord, he is now believed to be dead. authorities battle against the brutal drug trafficking industry, costing 7000 lives this year alone in drug-related violence. he >> he was one of the most dangerous drug lords in mexico. he specialized in cocaine in an industry worth billions of dollars per year. killed in a firefight in a

wealthy suburb of the country. >> during this operation he tried to avoid the action by attacking military personnel with gunfire, killing one soldier, wounding another. >> mexico is fighting the drug barons with all of the hardware of the civil war. millions of dollars -- millions of dollars worth of narcotics have been seized and destroyed. stored in warehouses for evidence. both president obama and president calderon have declared war on drugs. america is for the drugs are sold, demand is high, and there is no end to the violence. 7000 have died a low in the --

7000 have died this year alone in the drug war. in tijuana, more than 50,000 -- more than 5000 drug agents have been arrested for corruption. raids continued, drug barons from it -- remained at large, many more are ready to move in and take over. >> david quinn joins me now from bbc mundo. a big strike for the authorities, but a small battle won by a war they are losing? >> ignacio coronel villarreal was third in line in one of the most powerful drug organizations in mexico.

ignacio coronel villarreal was also known as the king of crystal, allegedly because of his control of synthetic rocks like methamphetamine in the united states. they believe that to some degree they have dropped at the organizational capacity, that someone else will probably try to fill that position. >> that might disrupt but it hardly decapitates that important program for them, does it? >> completely. the other two leaders of a cartel are still free and for wrigley capable of running the organization. there is another possibility, that one of the drug rivals of the rival cartels will try to seize the moment and control

that synthetic drug operation in that area. that could lead to even more violence. >> thank you, david. more news coming in from reuters, french police say that three employees at the u.s. embassy in paris are being treated for poisoning after opening mail. it is not known what caused that poisoning. three employees at the u.s. embassy in paris are being treated for poison after opening mail. let's get to the rest of the day's headlines. >> david, thank you. in northwest pakistan over 300 people have been killed in the worst drug busts the country has seen in 80 years. washing away cattle, roads, and bridges. forecasters say that more rain is on the way. they said they fear the death

toll will go much higher because many areas are inaccessible to rescue teams. >> thousands of soldiers according to the pakistani army are involved in those rescue operations. we have seen extraordinary television pictures of villages being washed away. many of them are mud brick, of course. entire villages were wiped away. livestock and people being carried away by the water, very large districts that are entirely submerged. we have seen footage of people clinging to rooftops. we hear that about 900 people have been airlifted to safety, thousands more are stranded. >> we will have more on this story a little later in "gmt." eight people have died in forest fires in the worst heat wave in russia for decades. thousands more will be forced to

evacuate after strong winds fuel a raging fire. a heat wave has left a drought in 23 regions. the temperature in moscow has hit an all-time record of 38.2 celsius. marked men in tree line cut -- sri lanka had hit a television station. the attackers threw bombs and destroyed broadcasting equipment. thousands of lobes makers in bangladesh have been protesting , blocking roads and attacking factories. they have rejected a rise in the minimum wage introduced by the government on thursday. more than 7000 children in gaza have thought to have broken the world record for the number of kites being organized 5 vote --

flown simultaneously. organized by a united nations summer camp, in an attempt to lift the spirits of the entire population. $256 million, the latest figure covers april to june, including disruption from the volcanic ash flowed -- volcanic ash cloud. british airways' chief executive says that the airline is on track to break even this year after two years of losses. david, back you. >> 3 american troops have been killed in afghanistan. die in two separate explosions. already the deadliest month for the u.s. military since the conflict began. british troops have launched a new operation that is seen as a continuation of what began in february to clear them from a

stronghold in the l.a. district. -- alley district. >> off to war with lead troops. phase one, audacious assault behind enemy lines. the plan is to seize a taliban stronghold. a high-risk mission by land and air. these are the troops at the spearhead. the brigade reconnaissance force has spent months planning and training. they know that the ground will be riddled with hidden bombs that have killed so many. they are preparing for the taliban to stand and fight. another dangerous battle in a war they are struggling to win. nadali is the district they are headed to. this town is already clear. the army calls it proof of

progress. >> this is the sector where there is economic regeneration taking place daily. >> this is the sixth time i have been brought to this district in the last few years while based in afghanistan. although you and see huge changes in the town in terms of economic development, the problem is that the security is still a problem in the area. >> shopkeepers said they are caught between troops and insurgents. they want peace talks, not fighting. the old man says that war is not the answer. i ask them with it would like to see in charge. they said the taliban.

the real battle is to win the support of the people here. there has been progress, but it has been limited. once again, troops are on the move against the taliban. a fifth bloody summer is on the way. >> joining me from kabul is david. we have british commanders saying that this is a success. a relative term, is it not? >> yes, i think that things are never quite as you expect them to turn out in afghanistan. that day operation in february has taken hold. marja was designed to change the military balance on the ground, making it harder for the taliban to operate, but they have succeeded in carrying out major attacks against foreign forces.

stanley mcchrystal said that the supreme u.s. commander in afghanistan called marja a bleeding ulcer. this operation that began overnight and will continue today, we now understand that the latest is that it is going according to plan. the timetable is on, but this is very serious fighting in order to clear out the several dozen taliban, believed to be 180 or so, but who knows? they have been using the town to resource themselves, but after wounded fighters, and as a place to hide. the idea is that if you and take the town and the surrounding countryside, you can join them together and do more of the job that foreign forces want to do in terms of securing peace.

>> in a sentence or two, commanders are still wincing when they hear that everyone they have spoken to is working with the taliban. >> put in context, if someone comes with a camera and says that this is what we want, it is hard to say in front of your neighbors that we want foreign forces. the real key is to change the perception, to try to provide security. what most people want here is what they want elsewhere, security for their families. people will be able to publicly come out to said they support them. >> david, thank you very much indeed. coming up in a moment, london embraces two wheels and thousands joined in.

in france they are developing a solution to the twin problems of a shortage of housing for the young and solitude among the old. young people are getting free and cheaper accommodations in the tent -- in return for offering elderly homeowners health -- held and sovereignty. >> 84 and semi paralyzed, the family has long yes -- long left home. >> sometimes it is said to be home alone in a large house, it is nice to have a bit of gaiety. for alexandra as well, this is an ideal arrangement. it is good to come home and have

someone to talk about their problems too. for the younger person, it is a way of getting free or cheap accommodations in return for certain services. >> taking the old person to the doctor, the cinema. watch television, so many services. did is a lovely relationship. >> city hall says that there are several hundred pairs of old and young living together throughout the capital and the idea of intergenerational cohabitation is bound to catch on around the world. for the proponents did is a phenomenon that the only keep growing because the phenomenon that it tackles, isolation and

impoverishment, are here to stay. >> this is "gmt" from "bbc world news." these are the main headlines. a top member of a powerful drug cartel has been killed during a military raid in mexico. british troops having new operation in helmund province. the president of syria is in lebanon today, his first visit to the country since 2005. that is when syria was blamed for the assassination of the former lebanese prime minister. accompanied on this trip by the king of saudi arabia during a time of rising tensions in lebanon. our correspondent joins us from outside of the presidential palace in the room -- a route --

beirut. give us a sense of the tension that has built up. >> it has been tense indeed, reminding everyone of what happened two years ago when hezbollah attack the areas of influence. there was very nearly a civil war again. it is extraordinary that these men have, in this unprecedented visit for a joint summit held with the lebanese leaders just behind me at the presidential palace. the leader had reacted angrily to the suggestion that the international tribunal set out to investigate the killing of the former prime minister five years ago, possibly about to indict some of the members. that is what was behind the tension. that is why these regional

leaders, real powerhouses in lebanese terms, have come here to try to calm tensions. >> how much control and they have? when this report comes out, are they in a position to make sure that it does not come to that? >> what they can do in practical terms is not clear. obviously they cannot control the tribunal, it is international and under u.s. auspices. what they can do is use their undoubted influence to impress on everyone that they slide into chaos, prosperity or it stability going down the drain is not something that they will allow. something, as it is, shoulder to shoulder, these men that were on different sides of the fence a

few years ago, it will be very much heard here, as their influence is undoubted with syria being very close to the iranian patrons. very deeply involved with these in the community. when they speak, they are listened to. >> thank you, jim. we will get more for you on the floods in pakistan. like cali has traveled to what is the worst affected area in northwest pakistan. how bad is it where you are? >> really, really very bad. for a lot of people, it could not get worse. a growing number of people have lost their lives, talking to businesses, people that have been swept away. we were traveling along the main roads yesterday, they were

seen as absolute devastation and sorrow. entire villages had disappeared under the water. along the roadside you saw exhausted families, huddling under anything that they could grab, some of the heaviest rains anyone had seen here since the 1920's. >> an awful long time, including the shock, especially for a country that supposedly knows how to manage them. >> they know about them, they have lived with them, a senior in previous decades the brute force. everyone, young and old, has said that they have never seen anything like this. yesterday that main motorway was blockaded by one man who was so angry that his home, including his daughter, had been swept

away. he mounted a one-man protest. he was furious, calling on the government to do something. but the scale of this disaster is such that the government's emergency services are really struggling to keep up. >> are they going to need international assistance? is it at that level that they will ask for that? >> every day we are getting a clearer picture of what is the result of these very devastating monsoon floods. family members, not talking about international aid, we have heard nothing from the government. in an area where some places are completely cut off, no electricity or communication, they are finding it hard to get an exact picture of the scale of this tragedy.

>> more rainfall predicted for the region as well. thank you. it will not be the first, but certainly it is the largest scheme launched today. until the end of august you will have to register in advance. the city is hoping that many more than that will be encouraged in the long run. we are taking a closer look. >> bringing the power to the people, 6000 bicycles will be available at 400 docking stations. how does it work? people will be able to turn up and put their credit card in to get access to the bicycles that way, but members only get a key that goes into the slot.

when the light goes green, you could take the bicycle away. at the end of the ride the bicycle goes back into the docking station and you walk away. >> you would not expect to hold onto it for entire day. you would take it from a to b, similar with these ones. 400 docking stations that are up and running, never more than 300 meters away. putting the bicycle away, picking up when you wanted again. >> how much is it? 24 hours of access is 1 pound, one year's membership costs 45 pounds. even make as many journeys as you like as long as they are less than half of an hour, but longer journeys cost more. and do not leave it anywhere, it

did get stolen it will cost you 3,000 pounds. london says it has learned from the mistakes of paris. the bicycles have no locks and people have to leave them at secured talking points. >> their flash, not fast, but not designed to be. they are designed to be practical. there are a number of features with that in mind. to stop you from getting dirt all over your clothes. easy for people of all sizes. they have lights built in with a luggage rack for your bags. with that in mind, and they are also designed for long-distance commutes. >> i could see jumping on one of these at a moment's notice, being able to go where we wanted to go real quick.

>> there will be trouble because there is not clear what the demand will be. some of them could be permanently empty while others stay fall. there will be a team of people driving around, repositioning them. >> the proof is in the pudding. if you have news on any of the stories that we are covering, let us know what you think. we have our own facebook page 4 "bbc world news." you'll also find plenty of features and analysis on the web site as well. let me now remind you of our top stories. a powerful mexican drug lord has been killed in a firefight with the army in the west of the country. ignacio coronel villarreal had been wanted by the fbi. you are watching "gmt." good bye for now.

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